The Valentine Unexpected Initiative
by aliciahub
Summary: For Valentine's day this year, Sheldon is in charge. And might surprise us all with what he came up with. Shamy story; Also you should be warned: I'm a nerd ;-)
1. Chapter 1

**_AN: _****_Hi Guys. Here is a new story I just had to get out of my head. It will only be a few chapters long. The action takes place on Valentine's day 2015 and is all Shamy, except for the first chapter which takes place during Girls Night, but the action really starts in Chapter 2. Stay tuned, I might be able to post it this weekend as well._**

**_And for the readers of my other story The Voyage Implications, don't worry, I'm still working on it, it is just a little hiatus, but I'll be back soon with new ideas. _**

**_As you all know, I do not own TBBT nor its wonderful characters._**

Chapter 1: Girls Night Out

"Okay, ladies, I'd like to propose a toast to a wonderful girls' night out!" Penny raised her glass of white wine, smiling widely. "It's been such a long time since we've done that and I was starting to miss it!" All three other girls raised theirs in response. "And Emily, I'm glad you could join us tonight." Penny added sincerely. Emily, who was sitting on her left, opposite Amy, smiled back shyly. "Now, Let the party begin!" She finally said as they all clicked their glasses together.

In the past few months, things had been slightly better between Penny and Emily, though it was obvious they would never be BFFs. But they had tacitly agreed to bury the hatchet, for the sake of Rajesh and their little group of friends. And more and more often recently Emily had been joining the group for takeout dinners at the guys' apartment or for occasional get-togethers at the Cheesecake Factory, provided her busy schedule allowed her to; her joining them for a girls' night was a first though.

Amy was glad; she had appreciated Emily from the moment they started chatting online, when Rajesh had asked for her help with the Dating website. She also liked the idea that she somehow found a way to thank Rajesh back for setting her up with Sheldon in the first place. And last but not least she was happy that Rajesh did not have to feel like the third wheel anymore. Amy had been involved unwillingly in the "Lucy disaster" and it warmed her heart to see him with her fellow Harvard alum now, obviously happy.

Tonight was Saturday night, on the first weekend of February and as the guys had decided to gather at the guys' apartment and play some video game for the whole weekend, the girls had chosen to go to a restaurant together and then maybe to go dancing.

"So Penny, tell us, are you and Leonard ready for your trip to Switzerland next weekend?" Bernadette asked as they all placed their glasses back on the table.

"Not yet but I am so excited about it. Leonard is all set and has been pressuring me into packing, and so did his crazy roommate for that matter but, well, you know me, I'm more of a last minute person."

Amy smiled at the understatement. Sometimes, she wished she could be a little more like Penny about such things, her life might be a little easier. And then she thought of Sheldon; it was already hard enough on him that Penny was like that, and she was just his roommate's girlfriend and neighbor; what would it be like for him if his girlfriend were as sloppy as Penny? She shook the thought away immediately and drank another sip of her Cosmo.

"Anyways, it will be nice to think about something else than wedding stuff for a weekend at least." Penny added. That was one of the main reasons why girls night had been that rare in the past few weeks; Penny and Leonard had begun planning the wedding pretty seriously and it had made them stay home browsing wedding magazines or researching for venues more often than not.

Amy was experiencing mixed feelings; she was of course very happy for her friends, especially her bestie, as marriage was such a big step for a couple. But it also made her realize that she and Sheldon were still so far away from that; he had just confessed his love for her a few weeks ago, and that was a huge step for them, but she knew wedding bells were not about to ring yet for her, if ever. She smiled sadly remembering she had elaborated a five year plan once; since then, she had given up all hope for it to happen, at least in the intended timeframe.

"Will this be your first trip to Europe?" Emily asked their blonde friend, bringing Amy back to the here and now.

"Yes. I almost went once though; a few years ago, for our first Valentine's Day, Leonard already invited me to Switzerland but I got sick the day before and could not go. Neither could Sheldon. Raj was the only one available so he ended up going with Leonard actually."

"Oh yes, Raj told me about it. I did not know the first part though. All he said was that a few years ago he spent Valentine's Day with Leonard in a hotel in Switzerland and that the setting was very romantic. Somehow the whole story makes me feel better about it." Emily said, taking another sip of her drink. Both Amy and Bernadette smiled at that.

Penny frowned then smiled again, talking to Amy and Bernadette "Well, anyways, there is no way I will miss it this year; in exactly one week, I will be going down the skiing pistes in Saint-Moritz, Switzerland!"

"I'm so jealous Penny! I hope you guys have fun there." Bernadette added, with a smile.

Penny's grin grew even wider. "What about you ladies, what have you planned for next Saturday? Bernie, what are you and Howard planning to do?"

"Nothing very original I'm afraid, Howie and I are going to a restaurant. Actually, it is the same restaurant we went to with you a couple of years ago on Valentine's Day." Bernadette told Penny before explaining "We can't spend too much money for a trip this year as we are saving for a house. So a nice romantic evening at a restaurant downtown will be just fine."

Then to Emily "Emily, have you and Raj planned something special?"

"No, I am working on Saturday night. I never really gave much importance to that day, but when I told Raj about it, he looked so sad. It made me feel bad for accepting the shift. Anyways it was too late. I promised him that I'd make it up to him in a way he would not regret, and it seemed to soothe his mood."

"Yes, Raj is the ultimate romantic. And he loves celebrations. So Valentine's day must indeed be his favorite day of the year." Amy added. She sometimes wished Sheldon was a little more romantic, like Rajesh; but she had to deal with the whole package when it came to her boyfriend. Sheldon was smart, good looking, charming but he was definitely not a romantic. For instance, his favorite so called 'holiday' was Star Wars day. Nothing romantic about it. At all.

"Yes, I guess I should have anticipated it." Emily said, taking another sip of her cocktail. "Now I know."

"Amy, what are you and Moonpie doing this year? Another train trip maybe?" Penny asked teasingly, leaning towards Amy and nudging her with her shoulder.

"I have no idea what we will be doing; Sheldon is in charge of organizing it this year and he won't tell me anything about it."

"Sheldon in charge for Valentine's day? Aww poor Amy." Bernadette said, patting her shoulder lightly.

"Why the Hell did you leave Professor Romance in charge for that evening?" Penny asked, sarcastically.

"Well, at our last Annual Relationship Summit, Sheldon brought up the topic and argued that I had been planning it for the past two years so this year was his turn. I did not know what to say; after all he made a valid point. So whatever we are doing is up to him."

"Relationship summit? What is that?" Emily asked, looking at the three other ladies quizzically.

"Oh, Sheldon and Amy, or the Shamy as we call them, have a very personal notion of how a relationship works; it includes a Relationship Agreement, Minutes of Meetings at each date night and a relationship summit every year." Penny replied. "But surprisingly that is working very well for them; they've been together for what, three years, and neither of them has ever looked happier than they do now. I never thought I would see Sheldon Cooper falling that hard for a woman. And the lucky one is our Amy here." Penny said, placing a hand on Amy's shoulder.

Amy was used to being teased by her friends, and she knew they did not mean to hurt her, but hearing her relationship with Sheldon summed up that way kind of stung.

"Oh. Okay." Emily said, smiling and frowning at the same time."Well, I've seen you together at Prom Night Amy, and let me tell you, the guy is crazy about you. That is so obvious."

"I know. Last year, we went on a train trip to the Napa Valley and spent the weekend there. It ended up being so romantic." Amy explained to Emily, smiling dreamily.

"Not from Sheldon's doing." Penny said in a low voice.

"I know. But things have changed a bit since then. Maybe he has something romantic planned for next week." Amy replied, trying to sound optimistic.

"Amy, you know what Sheldon's idea of the perfect date is: stay at home, order a pizza and watch one of his superheroes or space movies." Penny went on. "Things have changed alright, but I don't think that will ever change. Sorry girl."

"Penny is right, Amy, you are not dating the prince of romance, you are dating Sheldon Cooper." Bernadette said rather coldly.

It stung Amy once more "I know Sheldon is not romantic like Leonard, Howard or Raj. But I asked him to try to be at least a little romantic and he asked me to trust him. So I will."

"Amy, we are just telling you this so you don't have your hopes too high." Bernadette went on.

Amy had her eyes fixed on her hands that were still on her knees now. "I know, it's just sometimes…"

Witnessing her discomfort, Emily came to her rescue "Amy, I think you may be right. You never know with men." Then she said to the two other girls, looking at them "I haven't known Sheldon for a long time and Raj told me lots of stories that tend to show he is not the most caring man in the World. But he seems to be very much in love with Amy: so who knows? He might surprise her. And everyone." Emily looked at Penny quite intensely, as if to tell her to go soft on Amy.

"Emily, like you just said, you don't know Sheldon very well; As much as I'd love to think he can prepare the most romantic evening in the history of Valentine's days, well, this is Sheldon Cooper we are talking about. I love him, he is one of my best friends, but I doubt he has what it takes to romance a woman."

"Well, we'll see." Emily placed her hand on Amy's and squeezed it lightly, trying to comfort her.

Deep inside Amy knew Penny and Bernadette were right. But she could not help hoping. Well, actually about ten percent of her was hoping, ninety percent was resigned. It did not matter. After all, they were intellectually compatible, they enjoyed spending time together, they had confessed their love for each other, and Sheldon was making so much effort for her; she would never switch her boyfriend for anyone else, romance did not matter that much.

At least that's what she told herself while finishing her drink and ordering a second one.

**AN****: Ok, here we are; now the real action can begin. I hope I was not too hard on poor Amy, and that Penny and Bernadette did not sound too hard on her either here, but let's face it, Sheldon in charge for Valentine's day is a pretty scary thought. Now let's see what happens, he might surprise us all… Chapter 2 in progress.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Game on!

It was 1.58pm already. In two minutes, her boyfriend would be there. She had a few ideas of course about what they might be doing today, but Sheldon had been very mysterious about his plans. Amy and all the gang thought he was incapable of keeping secrets, but the truth was he really could. All she knew was that she had to be ready at 2pm sharp, dressed casually, with comfortable shoes.

Amy was torn between two feelings: on the one hand, she was excited to know what Sheldon had planned for their third Valentine's day together. But on the other hand, she was also very worried to discover that once again Sheldon might have chosen to do what he liked without taking her feelings into consideration. She had spent the whole week telling herself it did not matter, but the fact was it did matter, at least a bit. Especially after last year's kiss, and their prom night, and Christmas…

One more look at her watch: 2.00pm. At that exact moment, as she was already walking towards the door, expecting the three series of three knocks she knew so well, her phone started vibrating on the coffee table. She frowned and hurried to see what it was about. "What the…" She said as she read the name appearing onscreen. It was Sheldon texting her. His message simply said: "Check your emails."

Amy did as she was told without thinking twice. She sat at her desk, switched on her computer and opened her email box. There were several unread messages, mostly from work or her mother but she went directly to Sheldon's message, the last one on the list, which had been sent just a couple of minutes ago. It was a video message. Was it his way to cancel the whole thing? No, he would not… would he? Amy held her breathe and pressed 'play'. Sheldon appeared on her screen. He was sitting at his desk, at home and was wearing his Dungeons and Dragons's die blue t shirt, the one that made his eyes even more beautiful and reminded her of such nice memories, with a purple undershirt. He looked very serious as he began to speak.

"Good day Dr Fowler. As you know, today is Valentine's day. And as you know it is expected of couples like us to devote this day to romance." He raised his eyes towards the ceiling slightly as he said so. Amy was listening carefully, still unsure what was going on. She had expected to see him at her door then spend time with him, so she was at a loss now. What was he doing? Was he trying to bail out of yet another contractual obligation? He went on "As you know, all these years, I have been reluctant to follow this particular social protocol for obvious reasons. Though, against all odds, I found myself enjoying it last year, during our train trip and our weekend away." His face was soft now and it was as if he was remembering it all as he spoke, especially as he paused for a few seconds, biting his lower lip. Amy smiled lightly at the happy memory: their first real kiss. Sheldon snapped out of it, shaking his head lightly and focused back on what he had to say "Anyways… this year, things are different: I am in charge, Little Lady!" His usual boyish smile, the one that said that he was up to something, was all over his face now. Really, what was he up to now? He raised his left hand "Don't worry my dear Amy, I know you do love this day and all that romantic nonsense, so as your boyfriend, it is my duty to make this day very special for you." What? Amy could not believe what she was hearing "Here is what is going to happen: today, because I love you, I have decided that you and I will celebrate it, but in a way that is still very much 'us'; I mean, come on, you and I are scientists, not hippies! So let's make this day special by doing what you and I do best: what do you think about playing a game together?" A game? What kind of game? Amy was frowning, waiting patiently for Sheldon to go on.

"Right now, I am busy preparing our evening together, so I won't be able to meet you as planned. But we will see each other later today of course, after you discover where and when you can find me through a series of puzzles. I will give you clues, and eventually, if you find me, we will have an evening that I know for sure you will love. All you have to do is trust me. Can you do that?" Amy knew he could not see her through the screen, but she automatically nodded. "Alright, I knew it! That's my girl!" Boyish smile back again. How did he manage to look so adorable most of the time? "Now let the game begin. Just remember, it all starts in your name." Okay, bring it on, Cooper! Amy was listening carefully "To find the first clue, to know where to meet me, ask those who can't speak, can't hear and can't see. Bye Amy, and may the force be with you." And then the video stopped.

'May the force be with me? Oh my gosh, please, let it not be about Star Trek/Wars!' Amy could not help thinking. She grabbed a pen and a notepad in a drawer of her desk then she played the end of the video again, writing down the last sentences carefully. She could not help smiling now; all this was so much fun, it was such a delightful surprise. So unexpected.

Amy loved solving puzzles, she had spent many an hour as a child reading mystery novels, especially Agatha Christie's books, and she loved it. During the Scavenger Hunt with their friends last year, she had been frustrated because, as much as she had enjoyed spending the day with a fellow Neil fan, she had not really been part of the game. Now was an opportunity to play a mystery game, prepared especially for her, by her boyfriend no less. She would have preferred to have Sheldon with her of course, but knowing that he prepared it with her in mind, on Valentine's day, because he knew she would like it, was very special.

"Alright, let's see: To find the first clue, to know where to meet me, ask those who can't speak, can't hear and can't see. " Amy read out loud "Those who can't speak, can't hear and can't see…." Amy got up from her desk, paced for a moment before sitting back on her couch, reading each word over and over again. Then suddenly, it clicked in her brain "Hear no Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil" Of course, the monkeys!" It was the three wise monkeys that Sheldon was referring to, a Japanese sculpture that she had bought years ago and that had been in her living room ever since. She got up from her spot on the couch and walked towards the monkeys, by the window. She grabbed it and checked: taped underneath was a white piece of paper. Bingo! She took it then went back to the couch, excited. She really loved that game.

The paper was folded in two. On the outside, it said "Alea Jacta Est". Amy was familiar with Latin; she had studied it for years in high school, it was almost a prerequisite for any Science related studies. So she knew that these words meant "The die is cast" and that it had been spoken by Julius Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon River leading his army. Amy could not help smiling: she remembered when the die was cast in Sheldon's bedroom a couple of years ago, and how things had changed since then. By then, he said that he was trying to go past his fears, and look at where they were now! Alea jacta est, indeed!

She opened the paper and discovered a bunch of letters arranged in blocks of five.

"JVHOJ AAJQO XFUNA ROHXD LJWYD COXAC QHXDA KNBCN WMNJE XDAFQ NANHX DBQXD UMPXW NGCHX DFRUU MRBLX ENAKD CRWBC NJMXO VNNCR WPCQN PDNBC XOQXW XAYJH JERBR CCXMR JWJBK AXCQN A"

Alright. Of course, arranged that way it meant absolutely nothing but Amy remembered her ciphering/deciphering classes in Harvard. It was just for a semester, as a part of her logics course, but it definitely rang a bell. And the first thing that is taught to students during these lectures is what is known as the Caesar cipher: it is the simplest form of cipher ever: the letters have to be shifted by a certain figure in the alphabet to find the corresponding letters and obtain the ciphered message. To dechiper such a message, all you had to do was going backwards by the same figure. Alea Jacta Est, Caesar, Caesar cipher, all that seemed logical so far, it all fit.

She grabbed her pen, her notepad, and she started shifting all the letters back by 3, which is the most common figure for a Caesar cipher, J becoming G, V becoming S, H becoming E… Unfortunately, after the first few letters, Amy realized that is was not going to be that easy. Of course, Sheldon would not have made it that simple!

She got up and starting pacing again. It usually helped her focus "Think Fowler, think! To decipher a message you need… the ciphered message and either the figure for the shift or a key… a key…" Yes, it had to be the key. When you don't know how the letters shift, usually the first few letters act as a key, a word that is either known by both spies beforehand or that is easy to guess for them, for some reason. But it could just be anything. Amy remembered the last line from Sheldon's video message "May the force be with you!" She sat back, and started writing the letters FORCE below the text. Not working. Then she tried Star Wars, Star Trek, Spock, Kirk, Skywalker, Yoda, Physics. Nothing.

She stopped for a moment and tried to think harder. And decided to read the whole message again. The following line caught her eye "Just remember: it all starts in your name." Her name of course! She tried to shift the first letters back to see if JVH could become AMY…. Bullseye! She had found it! Sheldon had told her, it had been there for the whole time: it all starts in her name: the first words of the message were indeed AMY FARRAH FOWLER.

She went on writing carefully on her notepad the deciphered message:

AMYFA RRAHF OWLER IFYOU CANPU TFORT HYOUR BESTE NDEAV OURWH EREYO USHOU LDGON EXTYO UWILL DISCO VERBU TINST EADOF MEETI NGTHE GUEST OFHON ORPAY AVISI TTODI ANASB ROTHE R

Rearranged correctly, it became:

"Amy Farrah Fowler, if you put forth your best endeavour, where you should go next you will discover. But instead of meeting the guest of honor, pay a visit to Diana's brother."

"Oh Sheldon Cooper, that one is very easy!" She said out loud. "Endeavo**u**r of course, the Science Center!" Over the past four and a half years, she and Sheldon had been there a lot, at least once a month, to several special exhibitions or just to see the permanent ones. It was one of their favorite places in Los Angeles. They even had annual passes, renewed every year with no hesitation. And the Air &amp; Space area was Sheldon's favorite area, they had been in the Endeavour Hall very often, so she knew it quite well.

The second part of the sentence though was still a mystery to her. Who the Hell was Diana? And her brother? "Oh well, I have time to find this out on my way to the Museum." She got up from the couch, placed her notepad and the pen in her bag, along with the first message. She checked that she had her annual pass in her purse, grabbed her car keys, and rushed to her car, all smiles.

"What a wonderful way to spend Valentine's day! Solving puzzles and going to the Science Center! Thank you Dr Cooper!"

She started reconsidering that statement when she got stuck in traffic on the 110 to Downtown Los Angeles.

**_AN_****_: So what do you think? Exciting, isn't it? I wanted Sheldon to do something special for Amy, yet I wanted it to remain as much as possible in character, and it had to involve Science and things that were special for them. The chase is not over yet, so stay tuned to know what happens next!_**

**_Thanks so much for the reviews, it really motivates me; Please don't hesitate to tell if the deciphering was easy to follow or if I have to describe things better._**

**_Would you have guessed the first clues? Also, who do you guys think Diana and her brother are? Until later, bye!  
_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_AN_****_: Okay, that's a very first for me: three chapters in one day. It is probably all your kind words motivating me. I'm glad you like this little story, and I hope you will also like this chapter._**

Chapter 3: Word games

It took Amy a little more than thirty minutes to park outside the Science Center, and an additional ten minutes to reach the second floor of the main hall, where she was supposed to go.

On her way from her apartment, she had been playing in her head the second part of the message again and again "But instead of meeting the guest of honor, pay a visit to Diana's brother." Of course the guest of honor had to be Endeavour, so it was clear that it was not where she was supposed to go. Instead, she was supposed to find "Diana's brother", whoever it was.

Amy tried to list all the Dianas she knew and it came down to four names: the late English princess Lady Diana, the singer Diana Ross, Diana the roman goddess of hunting and virginity and Diana Prince also known as Wonder Woman. How Amy knew that Wonder Woman's real name was Diana Prince she had no idea. She guessed that after so many years around Sheldon and the guys, it was only logical that she had at least grabbed a handful of information about their heroes. For instance, she also knew that She-Hulk was a lawyer in New York, that Thor had a sexy lanky adopted evil brother called Loki and that Ryan Reynolds was obviously not the right choice to play Green Lantern. That's what happens when you care about someone, you listen to whatever they have to say and your memory retains some of it. About real life things or about fantasy worlds.

Back to the list: she knew she could strike both Lady Di and Diana Ross's names out of the list; Sheldon probably did not even know who they were, and what the hell would they have to do with the Science Center? No, it had to be about either Diana the Goddess or Wonder Woman. But the message did not really concern Diana, it was about Diana's brother. Do we even know Wonder Woman's brother? It can't be Superman, can it? That would be too easy, and if Amy knew one thing about the DC Comics/Marvel Comics Universes, that's that it was never as easy as it seemed! On the other hand, she knew who the Goddess' twin brother was: Apollo! And then it clicked! The Apollo-Soyuz module was on display at the Science Center, Amy went to see it with Sheldon several times. She got it!

As she arrived by the Apollo-Soyuz Module, she stood there, thinking "Now what?" She looked around, in case there was a sign or something, but she saw she waited.

Until someone came closer to her. It was a lady from the Museum, in her uniform. She was in her forties, petite, blonde with a nice smile. Her name tag seemed to indicate that her name was Brenda.

"Excuse me, are you Amy?" The lady asked shyly.

"Yes I am." Amy replied, frowning.

The lady's smile widened "Oh Good. I thought it was you. I was expecting you and you are right on time. My name is Brenda and I have something for you." She handed a white A4-size envelope to Amy. "A man gave it to me. He said he was your boyfriend and it was some game for Valentine's day. How romantic!" Brenda said, grinning.

"How… How did you know it was me?" Amy asked, intrigued.

"Well, I have seen you here with him a few times before, so I simply assumed it was you. Plus you were obviously looking for something around here."

"Oh. Sure. Thank you Brenda." Amy did not know what else to say, she was a bit ashamed not to have noticed Brenda during one of their previous visits. But above all things, she was eager to open the envelope and keep on with the chase.

Brenda was the first one to break the uncomfortable silence"I have to go back over there now, but Honey, once you know where you are supposed to go next, come and see me, I'll have something else for you then." She winked at Amy and went away to take her stand on that corner. Amy noticed a bench on the other corner and went to sit there. The hall was quite busy but she did not even pay attention, all she cared about was the next puzzle.

"Okay, now what, Dr Cooper?" Amy asked in a low voice while inspecting the envelope with excitement. On it was written 'Recto Verso'. Amy opened it in a rush. Inside was a single sheet of paper, not folded. She slid it out and saw the white side first, but then she turned it around to discover a long paragraph on it, using the whole space. Amy immediately recognized both Sheldon's delicate handwriting and the text before her eyes:

"Had Elizabeth been able to encounter his eye, she might have seen how well the expression of heart-felt delight, diffused over his face, became him; but, though she could not look, she could listen, and he told her of feelings, which, in proving of what importance she was to him, made his affection every moment more valuable."

"Wow!" Amy exclaimed softly, placing her left hand over her mouth in shock, tears threatening to escape her eyes any moment now. Of course she knew these lines; it was from her favorite book Pride and Prejudice. She loved these lines so much. In the book, it was when Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett finally understood that they have been in love with each other for quite some time. Had Sheldon chosen that text for what it meant or was it another enigma to be deciphered? Probably the latter. Or a bit of both maybe. Amy could not help grinning inside at the idea that the text might have to be understood in the proper sense as well; Sheldon never left anything to chance. He was after all her Mr. Darcy: lanky, charming, smart and so deeply honest and reliable. But God, it took time for him to realize and be able to express how he felt for her.

After a minute of silent reverie, she snapped out of it, remembering that the text probably contained an enigma to solve, and the sooner she solved it, the sooner she could see her oh so surprising boyfriend and thank him for being so perfect.

"Okay, what have we got here?" She asked herself. "'Recto Verso' meaning 'both sides' in Latin and this lovely Jane Austen quote. What else?" As beautiful as these lines were, Amy did not see what she could get out of it. It had to be something hidden. She turned the sheet of paper to check the other side once more but there was nothing else on it. Then as a reflex, she checked the envelope carefully. And there she saw it: the back side of the envelope was full of little square holes. Eight to be accurate. She slid the paper back inside the envelope, but the other way around, and then she knew she was right: each hole revealed a letter, that way all the text was hidden but for 8 letters: EEWDKPOAT. It obviously had to be rearranged to form a word.

An anagram, of course. It was a game that Amy loved playing when she was young: forming new words with the letters of a given word. She could play that game for hours just to pass the time when she was bored; at family functions, at school, in church… whenever she needed to get her brain busy. And as a grown up, she was still playing the game quite often with Sheldon. For instance, they discovered the anagrams for the name Sheldon Cooper were School Proned, Preschool Done and Colored Phones and that hers, as Amy Fowler, were Mayflower and Leafy Worm. Mayflower was sometimes used as a nickname by Sheldon, but only in private.

And sometimes when they did not want the others to understand them, they would combine one of her secret languages with anagrams for their friends names. Leonard Hofstadter became 'A tetrahedron folds', Howard Wolowitz 'Withdraw Owl Zoo" and Rajesh Koothrappali 'A Pharaoh Jerk Pistol'! They each loved being the only one able to understand the other. They would sometimes burst out laughing, just like that, under their friends' puzzled look. Then someone, usually Penny or Leonard, would raise their eyebrows and say "The Shamy is talking Shamese again!"

Back to the puzzle at hand: Amy retrieved the notepad and pen from her bag and started writing all the letters on a new sheet of paper. Then she tore the paper as neatly as she could without scissors or a ruler, to separate all the letters, and started organizing them to form words, trying all combinations methodically. She knew she could use her phone and find an online program to do it for her, but somehow she felt that it would be cheating; Sheldon had put lots of effort to create these puzzles, she owed him to try to solve it with her brain only. And needless to say, it was so much fun. She had been so disappointed not to spend the afternoon with him at first, but with these puzzles with references to their relationship, it was as if they had been together the whole time.

"So what do we get… ADOPT WEEK… no; WEAK DEPOT… no; WAKED POET… still no." She kept on moving all the letters for a few minutes before it appeared before her eyes. "Of course!" She had finally broken it. And how sweet of him. Both their letters game united in this puzzle. There, over her knees, on the notepad, it read TWEEPADOK, which means elephant in her invented language.

She placed everything back in her bag and thought about it for a moment before getting up. Of course, if Sheldon wanted to take her to the places that meant something to them, the zoo certainly was a logical choice. She was about to leave when she remembered that she had to go and see Brenda first.

"I'm going to the zoo now, I think." Amy said softly as she stood next to her.

"That's it, that's what your boyfriend said. Alright, here is something more for you, Honey." She said while taking something from her skirt pocket and handing it to Amy. It was an annual pass for the zoo with her name on it. Sheldon had even anticipated the fact that they had not renewed their annual pass yet. She took it and left, after thanking Brenda again.

"You are welcome Honey. Have fun, kids!" She said, winking. Amy promised herself that the next time she would come, she'd make sure to go and say Hi to Brenda, if she is on duty of course.

Back in her car, on her way to the zoo, Amy could not stop smiling. She did not even care about the car driver failing to give way as she exited the parking lot or the few others honking like crazy when she did not start moving immediately as the light turned green. All she could think of was how well her boyfriend seemed to know her and how it made her feel. First, by using her name as a key, then the monkeys in her apartment, the Science Center, using Latin and Mythology to give clues, then Jane Austen and especially her all-time favorite book Pride and Prejudice and a very fitting quote, and last but not least their word games, anagrams and made up language. And the chase was not over apparently. What could he possibly come up with now? The zoo was their favorite place to go to at weekends. They usually spent a long time in the monkeys section, then an equally long time in the koalas section, and in between they walked hand in hand throughout the park. Usually, they sat down on a bench facing the elephants, after buying ice creams from the cart around the corner. So she knew exactly where she had to go now.

It was close to 4pm when Amy got to the bench. Waiting. She checked below the bench, in the bin nearby, on the ground, but nothing. Where could this damn clue be?

**AN**:** Any idea where this damn clue could be? it is a bit trickier than the last cliffhanger, I admit...  
**

**By the way, congrats to SuchaHag for guessing the next stop would be by the Apollo-Soyuz module! Well done!**


	4. Chapter 4

**_AN: I'm very thrilled with the reactions I got for this story; I'm so glad you like it. Thanks to all of you who reviewed, favorited, followed or simply read and enjoyed!_**

**_Let's go on with the chase; we left Amy when she had just arrived at the zoo but could not find the clue._**

Chapter 4 : Ab Origine Fidelis

She sat back on the bench, not knowing what else she was supposed to do or where else she was supposed to go. She turned her head, checking around, very carefully, just in case she had missed something. And then, she caught Mac's eye. His cart was very busy, as you would expect it to be on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Though, as soon as he saw her, he waved at her then signaled her to come closer. Amy obeyed and stood in line, waiting for her turn while keeping an open eye on her surroundings.

When the two teenage girls before Amy left with their Haagen Dazs mini tubs, Mac greeted her with his thick Scottish accent "Hello there Dr Amy! How nice to see you!" She could not help but smile. When Sheldon had introduced Amy to Mac a few years ago, he had called her Dr Amy Farrah Fowler, and from that moment on, Mac had taken up calling her Dr Amy. She kind of liked it, and coming from Mac she knew it was affectionate.

Mac was quite tall but not as tall as Sheldon, with gray hair and blue eyes. He was in his fifties and had arrived from Europe over thirty years ago. He had been working at the zoo ever since. From the moment she met him, Amy had been surprised to see how Mac acted with Sheldon. Usually, people found Sheldon annoying at best, but Mac seemed to sincerely like the physicist. He would ask him about his week, joke with him, tease him… And Sheldon did not seem to mind. And more surprising, he even seemed to like it. Maybe it also had to do with the fact that Sheldon was a totally different person when he was at the zoo. It was like all his worries, all his issues and all his fears disappeared when he was within these walls; the zoo was the place where Sheldon felt the most relaxed and pressure free. That was the main reason why Amy liked their visits here so much.

"Hi Mac. How are you doing? Things seem to be going very well today." She said, looking behind her at the five people waiting in line.

"I'm fine thank you." He said, leaning over his counter, smiling widely. "Yes, it has been very busy, but just like any Saturday. Everyone likes ice creams!" He stood back up again, moving towards his machine. "Here is for you, Dr Amy, your usual: a two scoop vanilla cone with lots of whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles."

"Thank you Mac. But I don't have time today. I just came to say Hello." She replied, waving both her head and her right hand. It was true, she did not have time, she had a clue to find. And to be honest, having an ice cream without Sheldon would probably feel kind of weird; having an ice cream at the zoo was their thing, she did not feel like doing it by herself or with anyone else for that matter. But Mac did not pay attention and before she knew it, he was already handing her the cone with a spoon on top, wrapped in two napkins. It would be rude to refuse now. So reluctantly, she opened her handbag to pay for it.

"Oh no, Doc, it is all been taken care of, put your purse back in your bag and just enjoy it!" She heard him say.

Amy frowned, looking at him. "What do you m…" she began asking, when she realized what just was probably going on. Of course, that was what was missing when she was sitting on the bench: the ice cream cone. It became even more obvious as she noticed Mac's wide grin and bright eyes. "Oh, I see. Did you by any chance see someone we both know, around here, earlier today?" She asked, still frowning.

"Maybe." The older man replied, trying to sound mysterious but failing, his smile betraying him. He handed her the cone that was already beginning to melt.

"And did that person leave you a message for me?" Amy asked, grabbing the ice cream and the napkins, and leaving the line. She stood by the cart, letting him work, but eagerly waiting for an answer.

"Maybe." He said, before taking someone else's order.

"Well, what is it, Mac, please?" she asked, growing impatient, which only seemed to amuse Mac even more. She began to use the spoon and eat the whipped cream, hoping it would make her calm down a little. Gosh, that was so good.

"Aren't you two the cutest of all?" He said, teasing.

"Please Mac!" she begged, blushing lightly.

"Alright. Alright. But as a matter of fact, I have already given it to you." He said, winking. Then he went back towards the ice box to prepare the last placed order.

It took Amy a couple of seconds to comprehend what Mac had just said. As she took a look at her hands, she realized that the message could not be in the cone, or on the spoon for that matter; it was her usual, nothing special. So it had to be on one of the napkins. She carefully switched hands to hold the cone with her left hand, and quickly checked both napkins with her right hand. There it was: there was something written with a black Sharpie on one of them.

But as she was holding both the cone and the spoon, trying not to make it fall to the ground, it was not easy to read what was written on it while standing there. "Mac." She said loudly enough for Mac to hear over the machine's noise "I will go and check what the message says now. See you around very soon! And thanks for everything!" She said, grinning.

Mac handed the ice creams he had just prepared to his customers, then turned towards her "Bye Dr Amy. You're very welcome. I love seeing that smile on your face, it suits you. Your boyfriend is a lucky chap. A little eccentric, but very lucky!"

"Eccentric? I don't know what you mean." Amy replied, smirking, as she waved goodbye and went to sit back on their bench.

She kept on eating the ice cream which was so good, as usual, using the white napkin to clean her hand. And after doing so, she placed the other napkin on her lap and unfolded it. It was Sheldon's handwriting, all right.

It simply said "4.30 – 1,722 days ago. Time to go back to O (0, 0, 0)."

Amy looked at it thoughtfully as she kept bringing the spoon to her mouth automatically. Immediately, she had a theory about the solution, but a quick calculation would help prove her right. 1,722divided by 366 roughly gave something between 4.5 and 5. It fitted. She checked her watch; it was 4.15pm. If she was right, it would only take her ten minutes maximum to go where she was supposed to next. So she took her time to finish her ice cream, thinking of her boyfriend that was not there physically and yet was so present in spirit, and once she was finished, she took the notepad from her bag and checked the maths. Bingo!

Today was February 14th 2015, so 1,722 days ago was May 29th 2010. The day she met Sheldon. The day it all began. The T0 in their very own space time. So Sheldon wanted her to go back to the physical point of origin of their relationship: the coffee shop where they met on that day, in Glendale.

Amy got up, cleaned her hands with the white napkin and threw it in the bin, then placed the other one carefully in her handbag: that one was going to go directly in her scrapbooked relationship album, along with all the messages she got today! She waved at Mac, who waved back, and she left the zoo for her next destination.

* * *

It was 4.30pm sharp when Amy got inside the coffee shop. Even though it was located in Glendale, just a couple of blocks away from her apartment, funnily enough, she had never gone back there. She had passed by in her car a few times, but she had never stopped by again.

So it was very special to come back today, on a quest. It felt like some pilgrimage; so many things had changed since that day for her. So many things indeed but definitely not the way the tables inside the coffee shop were arranged; it simply looked exactly the same. Amy simply stood there for a moment, remembering that exact moment, 1,722 days ago. "_Excuse me! I'm Amy Farrah Fowler and you're Sheldon Cooper." "Hello Amy Farrah Fowler…"_

"Excuse me, Madam, can I help you?"

Amy snapped out of her reverie and got closer to the counter. The waitress was about twenty-twenty five years old, blonde, very pretty and obviously in a hurry to take Amy's order. There was another waitress behind the counter, a brunette about the same age, with her back half turned, busy wiping some dishes.

"Hmmm Actually, I'd like…." She was about to ask for some tea then she remembered that day years ago and finally said "Tepid Water, please."

"Tepid water?..." The waitress looked at her stunned then quickly checked her watch and with a smile, added "Oh, of course." She moved to conspiratorially pat her colleague's arm and whisper something in her ear. Then both girls moved back to the counter and watched Amy with a strange smile. The first waitress grabbed a tray and put Amy's order on it, while the second girl simply smiled. She was almost as pretty as her colleague and Amy smiled back at first, but there was something in her smile that made the neurobiologist very uncomfortable.

She decided not to pay attention and focused on getting the money from her purse instead. As she moved towards the cashier to hand a five dollar bill to the brunette, the girl said "Oh no, that's fine, it's already been paid for." Then she went on grinning.

Alright, so that was part of Sheldon's plan. And that would explain the waitresses' weird attitude from the moment she had said 'tepid water'. But what was she supposed to do now? As she was beginning to anticipate her next move, looking all around, Amy noticed that the blonde waitress had moved to room in the back and was coming back with a wooden Japanese box that she placed between the water bottle and the glass on Amy's tray.

"What is this?" Amy asked, though she had a little idea of what it might be, or rather from whom it might be.

The blonde girl replied "A man came earlier today. He said that if someone showed up at 4.30pm asking for tepid water, we had to give her that box." She was all smiles "We have been wondering all day what this meant. Well, we guessed it was probably Valentine's day related."

Her colleague went on "Is it from a secret Valentine? Because we can tell you one thing, the man that came this morning was quite handsome!"

Amy could not help but smile now "Not really. He is my boyfriend."She replied, very proud "He has prepared a little scavenger hunt for me in all the places that mean something to us as a couple."

"So why here?" The brunette asked, ignoring the customers standing next to Amy and who were waiting patiently.

"This place is where we met almost 5 years ago."

"Awwwww" Both girls said in unison.

"Yes." Amy smiled wider. She was not used to all the attention, but she loved it; Especially because she could make out something that looked a lot like jealousy over these pretty girls' face. 'Yes Ladies, my boyfriend is very romantic! And brilliant! And handsome! And mine!' she felt like bragging. But she kept it to herself.

"Well you are one lucky girl, this is all so romantic. That's not my boyfriend that would do such a thing for me." The brunette said, frowning. "And we've been together two years."

"At least you have a boyfriend!" the blonde added sadly. "Anyways, that's things like that that make me like Valentine's day. And keep faith in men!" She said, sighing. "Good for you Lady, don't let that one go!" Then she moved to finally listen to the other customers' order.

Amy was looking around to find a place to sit when the brunette added "You can sit over there. There is a reserved sign, but it really is for you to sit. Another request from your man." Her man. She really loved the sound of it. Yes, Sheldon was her man. And he had reserved that same table where they had been chatting for around four hours. How thoughtful.

She sat at the table, opened her bottle of water, and poured it in the glass. Then she placed the box in front of her and carefully started playing with it. That was one of the biggest and most complicated models she had ever seen; nothing to see with the model she had used for her experiment with the monkeys in her lab, Penny and Leonard not so long ago. This one would take a bit longer to figure out. But with patience, she finally managed to open it, within a few minutes.

Once it was open, she realized that there were several objects inside. Probably clues to combine in order to find out the next destination. She retrieved them one by one. First, there was a message that seemed to come from a Chinese fortune cookie, that said "Logic will get you from point A to point B. Imagination will take you anywhere." She placed the paper on the table next to the box.

Then she moved on to the next object which was a miniature locomotive. It was nothing very sophisticated; she had seen Sheldon play with models far more beautiful. This one was made of cheap wood and had been poorly painted in red and black.

The third object was a small blue-white-red flag on a stick. After being part of so many Fun with Flags episodes, Amy's knowledge about flags had increased so much that she was pretty sure she would recognize almost any flag of the World. To guess what that one was though, she did not need that much knowledge; this was the French flag. She placed it next to the other objects.

The last object was the picture of an old man wearing a beret. Amy knew immediately who he was, she had seen so many movies with him – even though in these movies he was much younger and so handsome. But she was sure it was him, no mistake possible; his name was Jean Gabin, he was a famous French actor back in the 40s.

_"__Okay so what have we got here"_ Amy thought _"The quote about imagination, a locomotive, a French flag and a picture of Jean Gabin_." What could all these objects put together mean? Jean Gabin was French, so these two clues fitted together. Amy loved Old French Movies, and Jean Gabin was one of her favorite actors. She started remembering the movies she had seen with him: 'Daybreak', 'Great Illusion'… 'Great Illusion' would fit with the quote about imagination, and going from point A to point B, as it was about prisoners escaping during WWI, but Amy did not remember a train in the movie. She went on 'Quai des Brumes', 'Pepe le Moko', 'The Human Beast'. That one was about trains! And she had seen it with Sheldon. Of course, the clue had to be 'The Human Beast'.

From time to time, Sheldon would let Amy watch one of her French movies during date night. He was not necessarily a big fan of such movies, she knew it, so it made her even happier that he would watch it with her; it meant he was really trying to please her. And not so long ago, about a couple of months back maybe, they had seen 'the Human Beast' together. As it was about a train driver, Amy thought Sheldon might like it, at least a little. And she had been right; while Amy had been enthralled by the tragic love story displayed onscreen, Sheldon had enjoyed all the technical scenes with the locomotives.

Now what about the first clue? How did it fit in? "Logic will get you to point A to point B, imagination will take you anywhere." It could be an image for what the movies allowed you to do, travel with your imagination. But it could also be taken literally. Yep, that was it!

Amy started placing all the items in her handbag – luckily she had taken her biggest bag today as it was quite full now! She brought the tray back to the counter, waved goodbye but both waitresses were busy and did not see her. Then she left the shop. She knew exactly where she was supposed to go next; she knew where point B was! And it was only a few blocks away.

**_AN_****_: What about you guys, do you know where point B might be? Congrats to ScienceGeekMom who had guessed Amy had to buy an ice cream to get the clue._**

**_Stay tuned for a few more puzzles. And please don't hesitate to review, I love it!_**

**_One last thing: English is not my first language, so sorry for any mistake you may notice, I try my best. Until next time, bye!  
_**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I'm still so overwhelmed with all the positive reactions, thanks to all of you for your nice reviews and for following/favoriting this story. I hope this chapter will not disappoint.**

**This chapter is a little longer than usual, I hope you don't mind. But it was difficult to split it.**

Chapter 5 : Ex Libris invenies

A locomotive toy, a French flag, a picture of a French actor, and the quote "Logic will get you from point A to point B. Imagination will take you anywhere." The first three clues had been used as a reference to the French movie The Human Beast that Sheldon and Amy had seen together a few months ago; Amy had no doubt about it.

But the quote was puzzling her. It could either refer to travelling ("Logic will get you from point A to point B") or to the cinema ("Imagination will take you anywhere").

So in Amy's mind, it came down to three options as to where she was supposed to go next: A train store, the train station or a cinema.

She considered the train station's option first. Union Station was a few miles away and driving there at this hour would take a long time. She had to be sure before rushing there. And somehow Amy doubted that it would be the solution, as not everything seemed to fit together. But what if Sheldon had chosen to take her away somewhere for the weekend, by train, just like last year? Could it have been his plan all along? It was a possibility. A very appealing possibility actually. She kept it in mind, but moved on to the other options.

The train store's option was quite plausible, but this chase thing seemed to be about their relationship, or the things she liked. Sheldon knew very well that Amy did not like playing with train toys; she had never lied to him about it. Sure, they had played together a few times with his trains –he had even let her blow the whistle once - , but she would not categorize it as something they enjoyed doing together, unlike going to the zoo or to the museum. Though, there was a train store on the other part of Glendale where she had taken him a couple of times, so she kept the option open, in case her hunch was wrong.

No, for some reason, Amy liked the cinema option best. First, her favorite cinema was just a few blocks away. That was the place where she and Sheldon went to see The Human Beast months ago. So that clue matched perfectly. Also, that cinema played many foreign movies all year long, so the "Imagination will take you anywhere" seemed to fit perfectly as well.

Her hunch became a certainty when she got out of her car; there, in front of her eyes, was a giant poster of The Human Beast, with the title "Train &amp; Cinema" on top of it! Amy got closer and checked the window. Apparently, there was some kind of international festival held there next week, starting tomorrow actually. She had no idea before now! How had Sheldon found out about it?

She checked quickly the movies on the program: Wild Wild West, a few of Hitchcock movies, Von Ryan's express, Runaway Train, Murder on the Orient Express, a few French and Italian movies… There were definitely movies she could come and see with Sheldon. She smiled at the idea. Both their passions combined; how awesome!

Then she remembered that she was there for a purpose and snapped out of it. One thing was for sure now: she was at the right place. So now what? She checked the window quickly, walked around; nothing. So she got inside, with the hope that the next clue would be in there.

The whole hall had been decorated for the Festival, with posters, pictures, summaries and flags all around. Amy started reading everything, beginning at the first display case on the left, and then she examined all details carefully, in case a clue was in there somewhere, just for her to find.

As she moved to the French area of the hall, somewhere in the middle, she noticed something unexpected: in the dedicated case, among about ten French flags, there was a flag that clearly was not supposed to be there. The color was different, and it had absolutely nothing to do with France, Amy knew that for sure. Because she knew that flag quite well; a white 'H' on a crimson background. She had seen it all around every day for several years: it was the Harvard flag. She grinned; it could not be a coincidence. Then she remembered that she was currently in possession of a French flag herself – the one that she got from the Japanese box in the coffee shop, and 'her' Blue-White-Red flag was very similar to the other ones in the display case. She searched in her bag and got it out; yes, it was the exact same size. Deciding that the Harvard flag was not enough for her to figure out what to do next, she moved towards the lady selling tickets at the cash register. Amy knew her. Well, she did not know her name or anything, but she had seen her a few times around before. Amy assumed she was the owner of the place; she was around fifty, quite thin with long blond curly hair.

When it was her turn, Amy moved closer to the booth "Good afternoon. This may sound weird, but I think I have something that belongs to you." Amy said shyly, waving the French flag lightly.

"Oh, sure!" the lady said, grinning, grasping the flag. "And I think I have something that belongs to you right here." She said, bending to grab something from under her counter. When she stood back up, she was holding an envelope. "Here you are." She said, holding it out to Amy who seized it. It was a small one this time, and there was an inscription on it: 821.1/19, in bold letters. As Amy was moving away to start opening the envelope, the lady added "Wait. Your boyfriend said to give you that as well" And she handed Amy what looked like two passports for the Festival, and a program. "These have already been paid for." She added, smiling.

"Did he say something else?" Amy asked.

"No. Just to give you the letter and the tickets."

"Alright. Thank you." Amy placed the passports in her purse, but kept the envelope in her hands, playing with it absent-mindedly. Then she saw a chair on one corner and went to sit there, eager to find out what the next puzzle prepared by her creative boyfriend would be. Inside the envelope was a single sheet of paper that she unfolded carefully. On it was typed, over five lines, the following message:

"Walk East for a few blocks,

only turn left when the Truth hits you.

Follow the pathway to knowledge,

then go where the heart calls you,

for Patience is a conquering virtue."

Amy read it several times, bewildered. Only the last part seemed easy to guess after the first reading: "Patience is a conquering virtue" was a quote taken from The Canterbury Tales, by her favorite author, Geoffrey Chaucer. Because Amy's absolute favorite kind of literature was Medieval Poetry. She had started reading it thanks to her great aunt Flora when she was about ten years old and she had been fascinated straightaway. Amy was touched that Sheldon would remember and even use it as part of a clue; he had really been listening to her all these times she thought he was not paying attention. Of course, he had an eidetic memory which probably made it easier for him to remember, but the fact that he had used all these facts about her today for her own special treasure hunt meant a lot. Before she began crying, she got a hold of herself and read the message once more.

After reading it several times, Amy got to the conclusion that she probably only had to follow the instructions literally and walk East; she could not find any hidden meaning to that part of the puzzle. She got up from her chair and was about to leave, when suddenly she walked back towards the cashier. The lady was still in there, apparently reading a book while waiting for customers to come and buy tickets "Excuse me, do you think that maybe you could give me that other flag back? The one in the case over there, with the H on it?"

"Oh, sure, no problem." She grabbed a key and walked outside her booth. She opened the lock behind the case, slid the background and grabbed the flag. "Here you are." She said, as she was giving it to Amy.

"Thank you" Amy felt a little foolish, but she really wanted to keep all the objects and pieces of paper that had been used today for her album, as it was without any doubt one of the best days of her life already. And the quest was not even over yet.

Amy went out of the cinema and once outside, quickly opened the compass app on her phone; she had always been terrible at orienteering, even when she was in the Girls Sprouts. So she decided that she could use a little help, hoping Sheldon would not have considered it cheating if he had been there with her.

Once she located the East, she started walking in that direction. "Walk East for a few blocks, only turn left when the Truth hits you." So she walked. For one, two, three blocks. Still nothing. She was beginning to wonder if she might have missed something on her way. The instructions were quite clear, but what did Sheldon mean by Truth? Amy started observing everything: the trees, the houses, the ground, the street names… And then she saw it; the next crossing street was East Harvard Street. Of course: Truth, or rather Veritas in Latin, was Harvard's motto. A reference to her University again.

And then, things became clear; she knew how she was supposed to "Follow the pathway to knowledge". East Harvard Street was where the Glendale Library was located. She walked for a couple more minutes then stood in front of the main entrance for a moment, focusing on the end of the message "Go where the heart calls you, for Patience is a conquering virtue." The Medieval Poetry aisle of the library of course!

Amy got inside the library, knowing exactly where she was supposed to go, as she had spent many an hour there, researching. Especially before meeting Sheldon, when she came to think about it.

The Medieval Poetry aisle was on the third floor. Chaucer's books were on the third row, at arm's length. Amy did not remember which volume the quote had been extracted from, but she immediately noticed that one of the books was different from the others; a shiny bookmark poked out of the "Franklin's prologue and tale" volume. She grabbed the book and opened it; at the page where the silver leaf bookmark was, Amy noticed a piece of paper. She closed it back for a moment, just the time to move to one of the large study tables nearby, with the book in hand.

Two students, a young male and a young female, were sitting at that table, completely immersed in their respective books. Neither even realized it when Amy sat at the table, in front of the woman. Amy put her handbag on the chair next to her then placed the Chaucer book before her, reading the note carefully.

It read "In a World where books could speak, how would a little moth find her way to the blazing fire?"

And below the sentence, there was a list of figures and letters on separate lines:

* 530.12/22 BGR4

* 793.93/25 RHE10

* 813.52/15 REY1

* 746.9/7 YOU9

* 463.21/52 HAR8

_"__Alright! Time to use your brain, Fowler"_ Amy thought, both excited and perplexed. She leant against the back of the chair, frowning. What was all this about? She studied each line carefully, trying to decipher whatever could be. Nothing came immediately. _"Okay, let's take it bit by bit."_ She thought.

The first part of the sentence was a reference to a game that Sheldon and Amy had co-invented years ago - in the very first weeks of their relationship really. That game was called Counterfactuals; a player had to postulate an alternate reality which differed from the actual World in only one aspect and then ask a question about that World to the other player. Another wink to their relationship and the fun time spent together!

The second part of the sentence clearly referred to that time when Sheldon had called Amy "little moth" and himself "blazing fire." Could that part mean that the chase was coming to an end? Was it the last puzzle? Amy felt a bit sad at the thought that it could be over soon, and at the same time, she was really looking forward to being reunited with Sheldon.

So "In a World where books could speak…." Amy was at the Glendale Library, surrounded by books. How could a book talk to her and tell her where she was supposed to go?

Suddenly she remembered that there was a clue from the previous message that she had not solved yet; she had even totally forgotten about it: the figures 821.1/19 written in bold on the front of the envelope. Could these figures be part of the series with the other five strings?

821.1/19 was part of the previous puzzle that had led her to a volume of the Canterbury Tales, it had to be related to it.

The book was still there, on the table, open in front of her. She quickly looked at the page number but that did not correspond to any of the figures. She closed the book and started thinking harder. Books. Figures. References…. "Could it be?" Amy said out loud, earning her a frown from her table neighbors. She mouth "Sorry" to both of them before focusing back on the task at hand.

She slid the book in order to have the edge facing her. 821.1.19/GCH18. There it was! And it had been there for the whole time, before her eyes: the Dewey Decimal Classification for books!

The Dewey Decimal Code referred to a classification code that was used in most of the libraries around the World. Its principle was to organize the library shelves by sorting all books within 10 main categories, each of them containing several subcategories. For instance, for Medieval Poetry, the code was 821, 800 corresponding to the Literature category, 820 covering the English Literature subcategory and 821 referring to the Poetry subdivision. The additional figures or letters corresponded to the library's own classification, usually based on the name of the author or the title of the book.

So if Amy's theory was right, all the figures on the list corresponded to references that could be found on books here, in the library. And all the books would contribute to provide the next clue, and lead her directly to her "blazing fire"!

Amy left her bag on her chair then took the piece of paper with her so she could find all the books. The first reference led her to the Science section. She searched carefully until she finally found the code she was looking for; she smiled when she discovered which book it was: 'The Hidden Reality', by Brian Greene. She remembered the conference she had attended with Sheldon in another library years ago; they had enjoyed mocking Pr Greene's work and had been laughing so much together about it. That was around that time incidentally that she had realized how comfortable she felt with Sheldon and that there might be something more than friendly feelings between them, at least on her part.

She picked the book up, put it on her table then moved to the next section: Sports, games and entertainment. In the indoors game &amp; amusements section, she found the book corresponding to 793.93/25 RHE10. She laughed when she realized that the book in her hands was a Dungeons and Dragons rulebook. It reminded her of their private game in Sheldon's room after the love spell had been cast on them by their friends. Such a magical moment, and such a sweet memory.

The aisle next to where she was corresponded to the graphic arts &amp; decorative arts section, and that's where she found book 746.9/7 YOU9, 'The Lone Star quilt handbook' by Blanche Young. It made her smile again; her other guilty pleasure mixed with a veiled reference to his Texan origins. How sweet.

Next on the list was a book that she would find in the Children's books department. Indeed, 813.52/15 REY1 referred to Margret &amp; H.A. Rey's 'Curious George takes a train'. On the cover was a monkey, apparently the "Curious George" from the title, and he was about to get on a train. Another reference to the two of them, in one book, through monkeys and trains!

Amy 's arms were quite full, so she went back to the table to get rid of her load, before going downstairs to find the last book of the list in the Spanish, Portuguese and Galician section. She frowned when she got there, pretty sure she had misread the code, but she double-checked and the reference indeed corresponded to a Harraps English-Spanish Dictionary. As much as all the other books referred either directly or indirectly to her relationship with Sheldon, that last book was a total mystery to her. What was it supposed to mean?

Puzzled, she got back to her table and sat down, organizing the books in front of her. One of the students, the girl, had left, and the other one, the young man, who was surrounded by books by Thomas Hardy, probably taking notes for a thesis or something, still seemed deeply engrossed in his task.

How should she proceed now? Amy decided to follow the order of appearance of the books in the list. First, she grabbed 'The Hidden Reality'. She checked quickly but there was no bookmark this time. She checked both the first and last page, but there was nothing noticeable there. So she browsed it quickly, turning the pages with her right hand and on between two random pages, she noticed something that was not supposed to be there: a folded sheet of paper. She unfolded it and discovered either the figure 0 or the letter O written all over the paper. She closed the book and placed the letter in front of her, on the table. Then she repeated the process with each book. From Dungeons &amp; Dragons, she got an A, from the Monkey book, she got a K and from the Quilt handbook she got an S. But surprisingly, the Spanish dictionary did not contain any letter. Amy checked several times, but she did not find anything in that book. Had she missed something? She checked again, with no different outcome though. She sighed quite loudly, frustrated. Was that book supposed to mean something?

At that moment, she noticed that the student in front of her was staring at her, frowning. Amy wondered what was going on. Then she realized how weird all this could seem to an outsider: there she was, in a library, with a few pieces of paper in front of her, as well as a bunch of completely unrelated books; a children's book about a monkey and a train, a book about quilting, a book about Quantum Physics, a Fantasy game's handbook and a Spanish/English dictionary. No wonder the student was finding it puzzling; he probably thought she was crazy. And maybe she was. She smiled at him shyly, but he was no longer looking in her direction, his attention was back to his own books.

Amy breathed in and out slowly, before getting back to her task "Okay, Fowler, what do we have here?" she asked herself. The letters O-A-K-S (or maybe 0-A-K-S, she could not tell) and an English-Spanish dictionary that had not revealed any secret yet. Was it another anagrams game? Nothing formed with the four letters rang a bell. Should she go back downstairs to check all the references close to 463/21 just in case Sheldon had made a mistake writing it down? She was about to get up again before reconsidering; Sheldon almost never made mistakes, especially since his failed attempt to isolate a new element. Now, not only did he double-check everything, but he triple-checked most of the time and sometimes he even quadruple-checked. No, all he wanted her to find had to be there, in front of her eyes. But what was it? And how should she proceed?

**AN: Cliffhanger… sorry about it. Has someone guessed what the solution to this puzzle is? And where Amy should go next? **

**About the previous puzzle at the end of Chapter 4: two of you were very close to solving it: smoguntia who had thought about the train station and NinjaNovelist who thought it could mean either a train store or a train station. But the real place was a cinema. I know, it was not easy to guess.**

**I have to confess that most of the things I use in this story are based on facts that truly exist - I try to be as accurate as possible. Except for the Train &amp; Cinema International Festival that is not taking place right now in Glendale. But such Festivals exist, all around the World. I just thought it would be cute to have both old movies &amp; trains in one event, especially around V day for the Shamy. **

**Also, the Dewey Classification does exist of course. And all the figures introduced here are accurate, but for the last figures/letters for each book, which are specific for each library. The problem is I live a bit too far away from Glendale to be able to check that 1. They have all the books I am talking about and 2. If they have them, the code is the one I chose; so I decided to use my imagination. I hope you don't mind.**

**Next chapter soon.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: First of all, I am very sorry for taking so much time before posting this chapter, I've had a busy week at work is my only excuse. Mea culpa!**

* * *

Chapter 6 : Monkey See, Monkey Tell.

Amy sat there at her table in the library for a few more minutes before she finally understood what Sheldon was trying to tell her; the only English word that could be formed with these four letters was in front of her eyes was oaks. Then there was the English-Spanish dictionary: what if all she had to do was translate that word into Spanish? Amy had learnt Spanish in high school but she had no idea what oaks's translation was. She browsed through the pages until she reached the right page.

**Oak ** _n _(tree) : roble _nm_

So 'the oaks' translated into Spanish was 'Los Robles.". Los Robles! Amy smiled widely; she had cracked the code, finally! She sighed in relief; this last puzzle had clearly been the most difficult one of the whole afternoon, and she had really feared that somehow she would fail Sheldon by failing to solve it. So this outcome was really liberating.

One quick look at her watch; it was already 6.20pm. She retrieved the bookmark from the Canterbury Tales and put it in her purse with all the sheets of paper – it was an oak leaf, another clue, how could she have missed it! – then after placing all the books back on their designated shelves, she left the library and walked back to her car.

About a half hour later, she parked in front of the apartment building, and soon entered the 2311 Los Robles.

The first thing she noticed as she got inside the hall was a brown sticker directly in front of her, on the wall along the stairs. And she knew immediately that the sticker was part of the quest; it was a monkey jumping in the air and pointing its finger towards upstairs. She walked up the stairs as she assumed she was supposed to, carrying her handbag, eyes fixed on the monkeys succeeding one another as she was climbing each step. It led her to the fourth floor, as expected, but not exactly where she thought it would; the last monkey – the fourteenth, Amy counted – was stuck on Penny's door. And this last one was a bit different from all the previous ones, because instead of pointing its finger towards a direction, this one was holding a sticker where was written 'Hic et Nunc.'

Latin again! Sheldon really liked using it for his clues. And the message was clear: 'Hic et nunc' meant 'Here and now'. She tried the handle; the door was unlocked, so she got inside Penny's apartment, shutting the door behind her.

There, on the coffee table, was a cuddly monkey, medium size. It was holding an envelope in its arms, and was sitting on top of a wooden box - about the same size as the Japanese one from the coffee shop. But that one was locked with a combination lock.

Amy sat on the couch, right in front of the box, perplexed; a few minutes ago, she had been so sure that the quest was over and that she'd finally be reunited with Sheldon, and now she realized that Sheldon had prepared yet another puzzle for her. She had mixed feelings; part of her was more than ready to see Sheldon now, she was really looking forward to telling him how much she had loved his surprise, and yet the idea of another puzzle prepared especially in her honor excited her a lot.

Biting her lip, she grabbed the envelope. Then she placed the monkey on the table next to the box and had a look at the lock. It was a five cylinder lock, for which the combinations were composed of one letter each.

Amy's attention moved back to the envelope, which she opened carefully. This time, she pulled out of it a white sheet of paper displaying a crosswords grid, and a pencil.

At the top of the page, she read "Find out the 50th and you'll know what you have to do."

As she looked more closely, she realized that it was a mixed words grid with 49 definitions written below it. This was another words game that she really loved. She did not know Sheldon was aware of it, but maybe he had seen some mixed words puzzle books somewhere in her apartment.

In a mixed words puzzle, the definitions correspond to all the words that can be found in the grid, - from left to right, right to left, up to down, down to up, askew… whatever - and these definitions are arranged alphabetically. Then when all the words that correspond to the definitions are crossed out in the grid, remain only a few letters not forming any words, but once rearranged these letters provide the solution to the puzzle.

_"__So let the game begin, let's find this 50__th__ word" _Amy thought. She took the pen and started studying the grid.

* * *

**Y-M-A-R-G-A-N-A-A-R-U-A-L-O-V-E**

**N-A-P-A-S-A-D-E-N-A-G-I-D-R-A-C**

**D-Y-D-T-I-O-B-R-Y-R-A-R-B-I-L-N**

**O-F-A-S-H-N-P-O-E-T-C-O-F-F-E-E**

**W-L-A-W-R-U-D-E-Y-C-A-M-I-T-N-I**

**N-O-M-R-R-U-N-I-S-F-U-L-R-E-T-C**

**T-W-U-Y-R-O-H-A-A-K-R-A-E-A-I-S**

**O-E-S-D-L-A-N-T-X-N-I-I-H-S-N-E**

**W-R-E-A-I-T-H-U-E-N-A-S-E-C-E-L**

**N-E-U-R-A-E-C-I-T-I-P-J-S-N-O-D**

**A-T-M-C-A-L-T-E-C-H-R-R-O-D-D-D**

**B-A-S-G-A-L-F-K-C-O-S-U-A-N-T-U**

**B-D-I-S-N-E-Y-L-A-N-D-C-C-H-E-C**

**E-P-R-O-M-S-E-T-A-R-O-T-C-O-D-S**

**Y-G-L-E-N-D-A-L-E-V-B-R-A-I-N-S**

**C-O-U-N-T-E-R-F-A-C-T-U-A-L-S-A**

* * *

Then she read all the definitions one by one:

1\. A lovely first name

2\. Mine is Colored Phones

3\. One of your allergies

4\. I have been yours for over three years

5\. You slice them on a daily basis

6\. Where I can see you every week day

7\. Your favorite piece of clothing

8\. You love his books

9\. Neither of us like it but we met in its shop

10\. Our very first game together

11\. One of your nicknames for me

12\. A great scientist we both admire

13\. Our first one was with Penny

14\. It rolled when the love spell was cast

15\. Where we love to go and see Mickey

16\. Together, we have four of it

17\. Your favorite British TV show

18\. Your middle name

19\. We had lots of fun with it for 232 episodes so far

20\. Where you live

21\. The color of your eyes

22\. I've learn to love the sound of this instrument

23\. You have almost ruined his franchise for me

24\. Growing between us

25\. A lovely discovery I made with you

26\. First name of your favorite TV heroin as a child

27\. You and I both spent lots of time there growing up

28\. Like the star is where I grew up, and as was I before I met you

29\. That strange feeling I feel for you

30\. My nickname for you

31\. Our favorite places to visit together, with the zoo

32\. Valley where we were one year ago exactly

33\. Where you spent one year after graduating

34\. Where I live

35\. Your current apartment's number

36\. Our second attempt was very special for the two of us

37\. My new friend thanks to you

38\. Our first love

39\. We met because of a dirty one

40\. You baked a Death one for me

41\. How I prefer Strawberry Quik now

42\. You love those from Canterbury

43\. Our favorite drink before going to bed

44\. Where I come from

45\. Date Day

46\. Where I first kissed you

47\. Where you were working when we met

48\. Today is his day

49\. The Doctor I prefer

* * *

Amy smiled at some of the definitions. For most of them, she knew exactly what Sheldon meant, and for others, she had to think about it more carefully.

She started with the first definition, which was very easy, then went on till the last one, 'Who' of course.

Amy could not help smiling as she once again was reminded of lovely moments with her boyfriend.

Her favorite definitions were definitely the reference to the color of my eyes, and the mention to the intimacy growing between them. And the kisses… how does he describe it? 'A lovely discovery I made with you.' _"How sweet!"_ she could not help thinking. And the definition 'I have been yours for over three years' for boyfriend could have stood as an affirmation by itself. Yes, he had been hers for three years. Sheldon Cooper was hers, more than ever! And she was his.

It took her a few minutes to strike all the words out in the grid, revealing the five remaining letters: **ARITA**

Five letters. _"Probably the five letters needed to unlock the lockers"_ Amy thought. And in the text above the grid, Sheldon had told her that she had to form a 50th word. Amy tried arranging the letters, and it did not take long for her to find the missing word: TIARA!

She used the letters in that order, starting with the cylinder on the left, and one by one, they all clicked open. She slid the padlock out and slowly opened the box. It was a beautiful jewel box, made of beautifully painted dark wood that smelled like heaven; Amy loved all these old wooden boxes, she had bought a few at flea markets over the years. But this one was really special, with the geometrical features on top; it looked very Euclidian!

Inside, Amy found a black velvet bag that she knew very well. He had giving it to her about three years ago, in that exact same apartment actually. She untied the rope and pulled it out softly: her tiara. Of course, that was the only reference to their relationship that had been missing today. Amy had tears in her eyes once again; it had definitely been one of the most emotional days of her life. As well as the most wonderful.

Amy noticed that under the tiara was another envelope. She placed the tiara and its velvet bag delicately on the table, next to the monkey, then took the envelope. Inside was a card from Hallmark where was written, on the front page: "Yay, you totally did it!" in white letters over a turquoise blue background. She opened it, smiling widely at her own success as well as at her boyfriend's both cheerful and childlike congratulations. And inside she read: "…. But it is not over yet! Come across the hall to find out what comes next."

Amy did not think twice; she placed the tiara on her head but left the jewel box on Penny's coffee table as well as the Japanese box from the coffee shop and the monkey, mentally noting that she would have to come and collect it later. She got up quickly, holding her tiara carefully so that it would not fall from her head, and placed the last two envelopes in her handbag with all the other clues from today.

Then she quickly left Penny's apartment to walk towards what was probably the final destination: Apartment 4A.

* * *

**AN: Okay, so you probably guess now why it was a bit longer to write: the grid! Because it is an actual grid, that took me quite some time to build and that you can try solving yourselves if you want – I will post the solution later today, before the next chapter.**

**Unfortunately, it seems the letters cannot be displayed in a grid as it is supposed to, but I guess it is one of the limits of ff (or it is possible and I did not find it! If someone knows how to post a table, please help me!). Too bad because it is far better displayed as it is supposed to. :-( Maybe you can simply copy/paste it to excel if you really want to try to solve it. Else, it doesn't matter.  
**

**I have to say again how pleased I am with all your reactions to this story. You can't imagine how much fun the nerd inside of me is having creating all these puzzles, and it is wonderful to know that people appreciate it. So thanks for all the reviews, I love it!**

**Well done to all those who guessed the next place was Los Robles, and there were other very creative attempts I had not thought of, so well done everyone. I think everyone knows where Amy is supposed to go next, no suspense this time! Also, next chapter will probably be the last one, and we will be back to a more classic setting.**

**Except if you want an Epilogue with behind the scenes with Sheldon and the people that helped him. Just let me know. I can definitely do that if some of you are interested.**


	7. Addendum to chapter 6

**AN: This is not a new chapter but the list of words corresponding to the definitions given for the grid of the last puzzle. I'll try to post the real chapter 7 this weekend though, so stay tuned!**

* * *

1\. Such a beautiful first name! **AMY**

2\. Mine is Colored Phones **ANAGRAM**

3\. One of your allergies **AVOCADO**

4\. I have been yours for over three years **BOYFRIEND**

5\. You slice them on a daily basis **BRAINS**

6\. Where I can see you every week day **CALTECH**

7\. Your favorite piece of clothing **CARDIGAN**

8\. You love his books **CHAUCER**

9\. Neither of us like it but we met in its shop **COFFEE**

10\. Our very first game together **COUNTERFACTUALS**

11\. One of your nicknames for me **CUDDLES**

12\. A great scientist we both admire** CURIE**

13\. Our first one was with Penny **DATE**

14\. It rolled when the love spell was cast** DIE**

15\. Where we love to go and see Mickey **DISNEYLAND**

16\. Together, we have four of it **DOCTORATES**

17\. Your favorite British TV show **DOWNTOWN ABBEY**

18\. Your middle name **FARRAH**

19\. We had lots of fun with it for 232 episodes so far **FLAGS**

20\. Where you live **GLENDALE**

21\. The color of your eyes **GREEN**

22\. I've learn to love the sound of this instrument** HARP**

23\. You have almost ruined his franchise for me **INDIANA JONES**

24\. Growing between us** INTIMACY**

25\. A lovely discovery I made with you **KISS**

26\. First name of your favorite TV heroin as a child** LAURA**

27\. You and I both spent lots of time there growing up **LIBRARY**

28\. Like the star is where I grew up, and as was I before I met you **LONE**

29\. That strange feeling I feel for you **LOVE**

30\. My nickname for you **MAYFLOWER**

31\. Our favorite places to visit together, with the zoo **MUSEUMS**

32\. Valley where we were one year ago exactly **NAPA**

33\. Where you spent one year after graduating **NORWAY**

34\. Where I live** PASADENA**

35\. Your current apartment's number **PI**

36\. Our second attempt was very special for the two of us **PROM**

37\. My new friend thanks to you **SANTA**

38\. Our first love **SCIENCE**

39\. We met because of a dirty one** SOCK**

40\. You baked a Death one for me **STAR**

41\. How I prefer Strawberry Quik now **SYRUP**

42\. You love those from Canterbury **TALES**

43\. Our favorite drink before going to bed **TEA**

44\. Where I come from **TEXAS**

45\. Date Day **THURSDAY**

46\. Where I first kissed you **TRAIN**

47\. Where you were working when we met **UCLA**

48\. Today is his day **VALENTINE**

49\. The Doctor I prefer **WHO**

* * *

**Y-M-A-R-G-A-N-A-A-R-U-A-L-O-V-E-**

**N-A-P-A-S-A-D-E-N-A-G-I-D-R-A-C-**

**D-Y-D-T-I-O-B-R-Y-R-A-R-B-I-L-N-**

**O-F-A-S-H-N-P-O-E-T-C-O-F-F-E-E-**

**W-L-A-W-R-U-D-E-Y-C-A-M-I-T-N-I-**

**N-O-M-R-R-U-N-I-S-F-U-L-R-E-T—C-**

**T-W-U-Y-R-O-H-A-A-K-R—A-E-A-I-S-**

**O-E-S-D-L-A-N-T-X-N-I-I-H-S-N-E-**

**W-R-E-A-I-T-H-U-E-N-A-S-E-C-E-L-**

**N-E-U-R-A-E-C-I-T-I-P-J-S-N-O—D-**

**A-T-M-C-A-L-T-E-C-H-R-R-O-D-D-D-**

**B-A-S-G-A-L-F-K-C-O-S-U-A-N-T-U-**

**B-D-I-S-N-E-Y-L-A-N-D-C-C-H-E-C-**

**E-P-R-O-M-S-E-T-A-R-O-T-C-O-D-S-**

**Y-G-L-E-N-D-A-L-E-V-B-R-A-I-N-S-**

**C-O-U-N-T-E-R-F-A-C-T-U-A-L-S-A-**


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Omega et Alpha

Standing in front of his door, Amy was nervous. She did not really know why; after all, it had been by far the best day of her life so far, so no matter what was behind that door, nothing could take that away from her. Whether it led to an evening up to par with the amazing past hours, or just to some plain takeaway-space movie night like they had had so many times before. She checked her watch quickly; it was now 7.15pm. She breathed in and out, straightened her clothes carefully, checked that her tiara was still correctly placed on her head, then raised her fist slowly and knocked on the door. Nothing. She waited for about twenty long seconds, before knocking again, a little louder. This time, she heard some indistinguishable noise on the other side, then recognized the sound of footsteps walking towards her. Suddenly she felt stupid standing there, wearing her regular clothes with her tiara on her head; she tentatively reached for it, considering taking it off, when the door opened.

And there he was, standing in front her, finally. After all the miles driven and walked, all the puzzles solved, all the memories relived. The funny thing was that the distance from her apartment, where it had all started a little over five hours ago, to here, Sheldon's apartment, was definitely not a long one, but it sure had felt like a very long journey; a five year long journey to be exact.

All her doubts disappeared the moment she saw the face of the man who had made this incredible journey possible.

She smiled widely and he smiled back, both shy. He was dressed in his grey costume she liked so much, with a light green cotton shirt underneath and his grey tie that she had offered to him for Christmas a few years ago. He looked so sexy dressed like that. She was even more self conscious of her outfit. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Amy said softly "Hello."

Sheldon smiled shyly and replied "Hello".

"Happy Valentine's day." Amy went on.

"Okay." He said quietly. Then quickly added "Happy Valentine's day to you too."

They stood like that, just smiling, for a minute, and then, out of the blue, Amy closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. "Thank you Sheldon." She simply said, pulling away slightly. As she grabbed her tiara that was threatening to fall any minute, she looked at him in the eyes and then, as if pushed by an invisible force, he bent down to kiss her on the lips. Sheldon was as stunned by his own action as he had been by his girlfriend's seconds before. It took him a moment to realize what was going on and pull away, his hands still on her waist though.

He looked away for a second, clearing his voice, before scolding her "Amy, you know that kisses are for after date night, not before."

Determined to try her luck and not to let him get away so easily, she replied "Come on Sheldon please, it is Valentine's day and I want to thank you for every…" She obviously did not need to say more to convince him, as he resumed kissing her without letting her finish her sentence. And what a kiss! It had to make their top three. Yes, definitely.

They had been kissing on a regular basis for exactly a year now, but their kisses were still very chaste. Sometimes, one of them would tentatively open their mouth a little, but there had been no 'tongue touching tongue' yet. As of recently though, their kisses had been getting longer and more passionate; Amy was pretty sure the next step would be reached quite soon. She did not want to push for it; in this relationship, she had always let Sheldon make the first move whenever he was ready, and it seemed to have been working quite well for them so far. So no matter how tempting it was to try to take it a little further this instant, she decided to settle for what he was ready to give her willingly; and a locked lips head spinning kiss was a very good start.

After two lovely minutes, Sheldon pulled away. He did not speak, but he signaled her to stay where she was for a minute. He grabbed a key from the bowl by the door and went to the hall – Amy assumed it was to lock Penny's door; of course, Sheldon would never let the door unlocked, otherwise it would drive him crazy. When he came back, he grabbed her free hand and silently led her to her spot on the couch. Amy sat down, placing both her tiara and her handbag on the first cushion and as Sheldon was about to sit on his own spot, an alarm rang from the kitchen. It kinda broke the spell. Sheldon moved quickly towards the oven and after putting on a glove, he opened it and retrieved a stoneware dish, which he placed on the kitchen island. Amy frowned; what was he doing?

Then for the first time since Sheldon had opened the door, Amy noticed a few details that should have caught her attention. First, it smelled divinely; though Amy could not quite make out what smells it was, hot apple and some herbs, maybe? Second, there was a table by the window, where Sheldon's desk usually stood. Amy got up and moved closer to it. The table was nicely laid, with a white linen table cloth, fancy plates and wine glasses, and candles. She knew those chairs, they belonged to Penny. And so did the table.

Amy could not believe her eyes; usually for date night, they either sat on the couch or at the kitchen island, but this was a total different level: it looked so romantic. Had he really done that just for her?

"What is all this Sheldon?" She finally asked, walking back towards him.

Sheldon was wiping his hands with a cloth, looking at her "This is what comes next: a homemade dinner. On a table. With candles and wine. Raj said women loved it." He replied simply.

"Wow!" Amy was speechless. When she thought her boyfriend could not surprise her anymore, she was proven wrong once more. What would the girls think of all that Sheldon had done for her today? Penny had sarcastically called him "Professor Romance". Well, she could not have been more right. "Sheldon, you did not have to go through so much trouble for me, a pizza and a movie here with you would have been enough."

"I wish I had known earlier." Sheldon muttered "But I loved doing it actually; it had been a long time since I last cooked a full meal, so I had to call Meemaw for some advice, but I can say I am quite happy with the result. I can see now why you enjoy cooking and baking for date night." He grinned. "I hope you will like it."

"I am sure I will. It smells wonderful. And you did it for me, it makes it so special. Like everything you have done today!" Amy could feel tears at the corner of her eyes, she tried to fight against it. She was overwhelmed by all the attention. "Thank you Sheldon." She said again.

Sheldon simply nodded, moving towards the table to grab the glasses. "Do you want something to drink, Amy?" he asked. "I bought some white wine for you. Chardonnay. I think it is your favorite."

"I'd like a glass, thank you" she replied. Then following him to the kitchen area "Is there something I can do to help you?"

"Yes Amy; go back over there and sit down please. I can manage. I'll bring you your glass in a minute." He said, pointing towards the couch.

Amy did as she was told. Once on the couch, she pulled a small package out of her bag. It was a medium size brown package that she had been carrying around everywhere today. She had been so sure that Sheldon would like her present, but now, after all he had done for her, she was full of doubts. She was absent mindedly playing with the package, when Sheldon placed her glass in front of her on the coffee table. He then walked back towards the kitchen and came back with a glass of Strawberry Quik, for himself.

Amy smiled "Syrup?"

"Of course. It tastes better."

"And you are okay with that?"

"Yes." He thought for a second. "Yes I am." And he smiled shyly.

Amy knew it meant more than choosing between powder and syrup, and it made her happy; it meant that her boyfriend was getting more and more comfortable with the changes in his life, changes that for a big part were due to her. She smiled back and they both drank a sip of their drinks.

After placing her glass back on the coffee table, she grabbed the package that lay on her knees, and handed it to Sheldon.

"Sheldon, this is for you." He was frowning at her so she explained "My Valentine's day present for you. I know it cannot compare to what you did for me today, but well, I thought you might like it. So here it is."

"Oh, you want to exchange presents now? But I am not ready yet." He said curtly, unsettling Amy.

"But… you have already given me my present Sheldon, this day has been the best day of my whole life. And in addition to all that, you are cooking for me."

"But I have a real present for you. Later."

Surprised by his words and unsure what to do, she asked him "Should I wait to give you mine then?"

"It is up to you Amy." He said, drinking some more of his pink beverage. "Yummy!"

"Okay, I think I want you to open it now then." Amy said, in an assertive tone.

"Okay" Sheldon said, grinning, finally taking the present from her hand. One last look at her before he ripped it open and finally discovered the frame. Amy was looking at him expectantly, sipping some wine more out of reflex than anything.

He placed the torn paper on the table, then turned the object in his hands over. On the other side was a very bright picture, mainly red and yellow.

The picture, about the size of a half A4 sheet of paper, was split into two halves. Of course, Sheldon knew what it was, but he did not really understand why Amy was giving it to him. As if reading his mind, Amy said "This, on the right, is your brain. Do you remember when you asked me to run a CAT scan for you a few months ago. Well, that is the result. I had it resized of course, so it could fit in the frame."

"And that one on the left?"

"That one is mine. I thought… well, I know that you don't like us taking pictures together because you think it is ridiculous, so I thought if it were a picture of our brains, you would object less to it. And maybe even like it?"

Sheldon, looked at her, then back to the frame "Amy…. I don't know what to say…"

"You don't like it, that's it? I'm sorry, you've done so much for me today…"

"Amy, no, that's great! I love it! Our two brains! Look at that! We are so alike. Look at our frontal lobes…"

"Yes. But still, there is more activity in yours, and it shows. Look at your temporal lobe, it is fascinating."

"Well, your frontal lobe is magnificent." He said, unable to take his eyes off it.

"So you like it?" Amy asked, just to be sure.

"Yes. I will put it in my bedroom. Or on my desk at work, I don't know yet. Thanks Amy." He finally stared at her "I'll give you your present later. I just can't now" She signaled him that it did not matter. They looked at each other silently for a minute. Until Sheldon suddenly got up and walked back towards the kitchen island. "Amy, our dinner is almost ready, please move to the table." He told her, as he placed the frame on the island, facing the living room.

Amy grabbed her glass and obeyed. "So tell me, what have you prepared for tonight? Am I allowed to know?"

"Well, as I told you, I have not cooked for quite a long time, so Meemaw advised me to keep it simple. Hence, we will start with a vegetable soup à la Meemaw! You'll see the rest as it goes. And don't worry, I know about all your allergies, I took it into account." He replied. Amy smiled. He was so thoughtful.

"Hmmm, it sounds perfect." Tears threatened to come back, so Amy coughed lightly and quickly added, as Sheldon was going back and from between the kitchen and the table, bringing the platefuls of soup "So tell me, how did you prepare all this? I mean, we spend lots of time together. How did you find time to prepare this all without me suspecting anything? Did you have accomplices? And for how long had you been working on it?"

"This, Little Lady, is my secret. I don't like magic, but what I like even less than magic is when people reveal the tricks; I like trying to guess what is going on, but I hate being told. That is why I won't tell you anything. Sometimes things are better left to the imagination, Amy." Sheldon said as he finally sat at the table, ready to start eating. Amy knew she would not get any more out of him, so she stopped questioning him. She also avoided asking him if having a table up there was growing on him, but she somehow felt it was not the time to bring up the topic.

The dinner went by nicely. Once past the awkward silence following Sheldon's refusal to talk, they both found quite a few topics to discuss; the Train &amp; Film festival and what movies they would go and see together – they checked on the program -, Penny and Leonard's weekend in Switzerland and the latest news that Sheldon had received from his roommate – they were of course having fun -, how long it took Amy to open the Japanese box – Sheldon could not believe that it took her about five minutes less than him, etc… Time flew by, and by the time the extremely well cooked meat loaf, potatoes and vegetable had been replaced by a very delicious apple pie, with homemade whipped cream on top, it was already 9.30pm.

When both their plates were empty, Sheldon proposed to move back to the couch for a cup of tea. After some tough bargaining, Sheldon let Amy help him bring the dishes back to the sink and clean it, while talking about Meemaw's recipes that she had taught him as a child.

Once they had washed, wiped and put everything away, Sheldon had some water boil over for their teas.

"Amy, as I told you, in order to prepare tonight's diner, I called Meemaw a few times this past week. And well, the woman is strong headed and it is difficult to refuse her things sometimes – exactly like someone else standing next to me actually." Amy smirked. "Anyways, Meemaw made me promise to ask you something on her behalf. It is not the first time she asked, or Missy or my mother for that matter, but well, this time I said I'd ask you; so here we go: Amy, would you accept to come to Texas with me for a weekend? It does not have to be next weekend, but within the next three, or six months maybe. Not in the summer, because summer in Texas is hell, but you name a weekend, and we can go. If you agree of course."

"Hold on, Sheldon. You want me to go to Texas to meet your family? To meet your Meemaw?" Sheldon nodded. Amy could not believe her ears. Really, how could this day keep getting better and better? He wanted her to go to his hometown and to introduce her as his girlfriend to his beloved grandmother. Of course, it was his Meemaw who asked him. But still, he could have said no. Nobody forces Sheldon Cooper to do anything he does not want to do, not even his Meemaw, she knew that, no matter what he said.

"Yes." She smiled, holding back her tears once more. "Yes, Sheldon, I will go to Texas with you."

"Good." He replied, smiling softly, while carrying both their mugs to the living room. "Do you want your present now?" He asked, smirking.

"Yes please! But once again, you don't have to." But before she had even finished her sentence, Sheldon had disappeared down the hall leading to his bedroom. When he came back, she went on "I cannot thank you enough for today Sheldon. For the treasure hunt that was just perfect, and for tonight with this lovely dinner."

"So did I fulfill your requirement Dr Fowler?" Sheldon asked, as he sat back down on his spot, with a little box in his hands. His words could sound harsh, but his tone was playful.

Though Amy did not know where he was getting at, she used the same playful tone "What do mean by 'my requirement' Dr Cooper?"

"Was today at least a little romantic, like you required?" He asked, smiling lightly, not looking at her in the eye but focusing on his hands and the box in it.

"No Sheldon." He looked at her, puzzled, maybe also slightly hurt so she reassured him immediately by grabbing his hand and leaning in a little, almost whispering "It was so much more than a little romantic. It was perfect. It was romantic and brilliant and sweet and brain teasing and intimate." She grinned.

Sheldon released a breath he did not know he had been holding, and kept her hand in his a little longer, playing with her fingers. "I'm glad you liked it." He finally said. "I thought you might. And I do love our picture together; our two brains." He said, looking at it on the kitchen island, where it was still sitting, from over his shoulder "And here is my present for you." He released her hand and handed her the box.

Amy opened it. Inside was a key attached to a Dungeons &amp; Dragons die shaped key ring.

"It's a key." Amy said out loud.

"Yes, well done Dr Fowler, it is a key indeed." He smiled, then bit his lip "And to be a little more precise, it is the key to this apartment."

"A key to your apartment?" Amy frowned, not really understanding, scared she might misinterpret it.

"Yes. But there is more behind it."

"Okay…" Her heart was about to stop beating, Amy was pretty sure of it.

Sheldon sat up straight, turning a little in his spot to face her completely "Amy, I know it is an important step, and I know that in the past I may have expressed some reluctance about it. But, well with Leonard moving out gradually…" Amy was hung on his every word, feeling she knew what was coming next, but not daring to hope too much "Amy, how would you like to start moving in with me?" Then immediately, before she could realize the bombshell that had been dropped "But it would be in Leonard's room. At least at first. When Leonard is away. As an experiment. And then we will evaluate and see where we can go from there."

Amy was staring at him, fisting the cushion below her tightly with both her hands "Okay. So let me sum it up: what you are saying is that you would like to start an experiment to see if you and I could live together some day and you would like my first time sleeping over to be when Leonard is away, in his bedroom."

"Exactly. And I would appreciate it if we could keep it to ourselves at first." Sheldon added softly.

Amy started thinking about the situation. Sure, she had hoped that someday, Sheldon would realize that he needed her with him all the time and would ask her to move in permanently. But she knew better than that; her boyfriend needed to take baby steps. And usually, if Amy let him deal with it his own way, letting him get used to the new change of situation at his own pace, she managed to get him exactly where she wanted him at some point. All she had to do was being patient.

Right at that moment, as she was looking straight in his eyes, she could feel that her boyfriend was not his arrogant and confident self; he was nervous. She had only seen Sheldon that unsure of himself a handful of times; when he had asked her to be his girlfriend all these years ago, during the love spell, when he had told her that he loved her. Amy remembered the few times in the past when they had talked about living together for some reason, and she knew it definitely was a big step for him to even consider it. If he was making this proposition today, it meant that he had been thinking about it for some time now, and had finally gathered the courage to ask her.

"So what do you say?" He asked, obviously anxious to hear her decision.

"Yes Sheldon." She said quietly.

"Yes?"

"Yes."

"Great." He smiled widely and drank some of his tea.

Amy knew she should not push her luck but somehow she felt that this was an opportunity she had to seize. So she inhaled deeply and ventured "Proposal?"

Sheldon frowned but nodded "I'm listening."

"How would you feel about starting the experiment tonight?" Okay, she had said it. Now she had to be convincing.

"Tonight?" Sheldon looked confused.

"Well, Leonard and Penny are away for a long weekend, so not only is his room free, but nobody would know if I stayed tonight. Isn't this the perfect occasion?"

For a few seconds, which felt like the longest time ever, he simply said "Agreed."

Amy was taken aback "Really?" She definitely expected some tougher bargaining.

"Yes. You made a fair point, I had not thought about it, but today is indeed the best day to start. Plus not only have you had some wine tonight but you have had a tiring day, I would feel better if you did not drive. The only problem is that you don't have sleepwear or a too…" but before he could finish his sentence, Amy had gotten up and reached the armchair, kneeling and sliding her hand under the cushion.

"Sheldon, would it alarm you if I told you that I have hidden this here" she retrieved a bag from under there, obviously a sleepover bag, and held it in the air "for the past two years?"

"It would a little, but at the same time, you know how much I love preparedness." He replied grinning.

* * *

Sheldon let Amy use the bathroom first, while he prepared Leonard's bed for her. When she got out in her sleepwear, Sheldon was waiting for her outside the door and showed her to Leonard's room; after all, it was the first time she saw it. Then he left her there, awkwardly telling her goodnight from the doorframe.

Amy lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, reliving the wonderful day. She had heard Sheldon getting out of the bathroom and going to his bedroom five minutes ago. She knew she was being greedy, after all the wonderful things that happened today, but she had been disappointed with the way the evening ended; no hug, no cuddling, no kiss. In fact, Sheldon had been acting very cold from the moment he announced it was his bedtime. Was he already regretting that he had asked her to sleep over? Was tonight too early for him? Why had he not kissed her at the end of the date, like he was supposed to, according to the Relationship Agreement? Maybe he considered that he had fulfilled his duties because he had kissed her on the doorstep when she arrived? Nevertheless, she wished he had kissed her again before going to bed. She was addicted to these kisses now, had been ever since… a year ago!

As she was recalling their very first kiss on the train last year, Sheldon called through the wall "Amy, are you asleep?"

"No Sheldon." She yelled back.

"Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes Sheldon. Thank you."

"Alright."

She did not hear anything for about five minutes, so she was pretty sure that Sheldon had fallen asleep. She closed her eyes and was beginning to slowly drift into sleep herself when suddenly she heard "Knock Knock Knock Amy, Knock Knock Knock Amy, Knock Knock Knock Amy."

She switched on the bedside light, and sat straight on the bed, holding the covers tight against her upper body "Come in Sheldon." She said, partly exasperated, partly hopeful. Maybe a little more exasperated than hopeful actually.

The door opened and Sheldon got inside "Are you sure you have everything you need? There is another pillow in the closet over there. And a blanket too."

"I am fine Sheldon, thank you, you can go back to your room, don't let me ruin your REM cycle."

"Oh you are not ruining anything. I just thought… Okay, I will go back now." He said, though he was not moving. He remained silent, but Amy could feel that something was bothering him "What is it Sheldon?"

"Nothing."

"Sheldon!" She scowled.

"Okay. It is just… usually for Date Night, we have the contractual obligation to kiss at the end of the evening. And usually it comes naturally because one of us has to leave, and so we kiss on the doorstep. But tonight, no one left and… What I mean is…" Sheldon did not look directly at her.

Amy grinned "I think I see what you mean Sheldon. We did not kiss goodbye tonight, and it is bothering you." His closure issues were a blessing sometimes, she thought.

"Hmmm Yes." He finally looked at her. But still did not move.

"What are you waiting for, Sheldon? Come closer."

"Amy, you are in bed. I can't…"He sounded embarrassed.

Amy sighed. "Sheldon, I thought the idea behind tonight was getting used to seeing each other in a more intimate setting. Here is the intimate setting Sheldon." She said, patting the bed.

"Yes, you are right, but I don't think I would feel comfortable kissing you in bed just yet." He sounded so innocent at that moment, and so vulnerable.

"Alright. What about if I sit on the edge of the bed, and you sit next to me?" She proposed, in a softer tone.

"Alright." Sheldon said, moving closer and sitting at the end of the bed, on Amy's side. Amy carefully pulled out of the blankets and sat next to him. Without waiting anymore, Sheldon leant closer to her and started kissing her like they had done many times for the past 366 days. Only this time they were sitting. And it quickly became something entirely new as Sheldon began placing several closed lips kisses on her mouth instead of just a long one. And then the unexpected yet very anticipated happened: Amy felt a tongue tentatively touching her lips. She decided to play along – after all, he was the one initiating this little experiment – and she parted her lips a little. Sheldon took the hint and for the first time ever he was initiating a French Kiss with his girlfriend. It lasted a few seconds only, but Amy thought it was the best few seconds in her entire life. It was indescribable; the way he tasted, his shyness, and yet Amy could feel some determination in that kiss, the way he bent his head to have a better access, his hand on her cheek… It was fascinating. It was simply the perfect conclusion to a more than perfect day.

When he pulled away, he seemed as surprised as her, but within seconds, he smiled warmly. "Well, goodnight my May flower. And welcome in your new home – on trial. He then got up and left the room, leaving her to her reverie. What was going on? Who was that man seriously? Could Amy really deal with this new romantic Sheldon? She loved it of course, but it was puzzling.

After maybe five minutes of such thoughts she heard from the other side of the wall "Amy, I forgot to tell you; Raj helped me today and in return he made me promise to take care of his dog next weekend. But you know that I don't want dogs in here. So I said he could leave that dog at your place and that you would take care of it. Her. Well, the dog. I just thought you should know a little beforehand."

Nope, the good old version of Sheldon was definitely still there, coexisting with the new Sheldon, finding a somewhat perfect balance. She would not want him any other way anyways. She loved him, quirks and all.

"Alright Sheldon, I'll call him to arrange it. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Amy." And this time no one spoke again. They both fell asleep immediately, both satisfied with the way the day went and more than ever convinced that going to the coffee shop five years ago was the most intelligent thing that had ever done.

* * *

**AN: That's all Folks! I hope you liked how it all finished. Or is it a new beginning? I had to change a few things after what happened in episode 20 but I think it worked out okay. What do you think? **

**As you all seem to be okay with the epilogue idea revealing some behind the scenes for the puzzles, I will start working on it asap and try to post it this week.**

**Again, thanks for the support, you guys are awesome, I love reading your reviews. **


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